MARKETING TURKEYS AND WATERFOWL 135 



near by. In dressing, I always scald ; it is less work and 

 they sell better in our markets. When turkeys are 

 shipped to market, dry picking is best. 



"If turkej's arc mature enough to kill by Thanks- 

 giving, I kill half of the flock two days before the 

 lioliday and save the rest until Christmas. If they did 

 not begin to lay earl}', they will not be mature enough 

 to fatten and dress well by that time; we are then 

 obliged to wait until Christmas and New Year's. Small 

 lots of medium turkeys will sell readily here at any 

 time late in the fall, but large ones are not wanted 

 except at holidaj's. Turke3's dressed in the very best 

 shape to suit the market to which they are taken will 

 sell f^r one-fourth more per pound than just as good 

 ones carelessly dressed. Late, thin turkeys with pin- 

 feathers and broken skin are a nuisance in a market 

 and a loss to raiser, dealer and consumer. After I take 

 prime dressed turkeys to a market I find it easy to sell 

 there afterward at a little aljove market price. Most 

 people are too careless to learn to dress turkeys nicely, 

 or fail to see the importance of it. 



"I confine them at least twelve hours without food 

 before killing. A strong person should hold them by 

 the wings near the body, another person cut the arteries 

 on each side of the neck close to the head, with a knife. 

 Hold the bird as long as it struggles; if not held they 

 will bruise themselves. I kill two turkeys for every 

 picker before I scald, and dress those before I kill any 

 more. A turkey should be dressed in fifteen minutes. 

 I have a six or eight-pail boiler on the stove, with four 

 pails of boiling water and a barrel full of cold water 

 ready, put nearly one pail of cold water into the four 

 pails of boiling water on the stove, have a moderate 

 fire ; the one pail of cold water will reduce the four 

 pails down to scalding heat, wliich is hot enough. Take 

 the turke}' by the legs, pusli it entirely under the hot 



